linger

From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishlingerlin‧ger /ˈlɪŋɡə $ -ər/ ●○○ verb [intransitive]1 (also linger on)STILL to continue to exist, be noticeable etc for longer than is usual or desirablea taste that lingers in your mouthUnfortunately the tax will linger on until April.2STAY/NOT LEAVE (also linger on) to stay somewhere a little longer, especially because you do not want to leavelinger overThey lingered over coffee and missed the last bus.I spent a week at Kandersteg and could happily have lingered on.► see thesaurus at stay3[always + adverb/preposition]CONTINUE/NOT STOP to continue looking at or dealing with something for longer than is usual or desirablelinger on/overMike let his eyes linger on her face.There’s no need to linger over this stage of the interview.4 (also linger on)DIE to continue to live although you are slowly dyingHe surprised all the doctors by lingering on for several weeks.→ See Verb table